Espace Jean-Tinguely–Niki-de-Saint-Phalle

The Espace Jean-Tinguely-Niki-de-Saint-Phalle is an art museum in Fribourg housed in a former tramway depot that focuses entirely on these two artists' creations. Inside you find kinetic sculptures, mechanical installations, and colorful artworks displayed together to show how both artists approached form, movement, and expression.

The building started as a tramway depot in 1900, a role it played for most of the twentieth century, and its industrial structure still shapes the exhibition space today. It was later transformed to showcase the work of these two pioneering artists who reimagined what sculpture and installation could be.

The works here reflect two artistic visions that speak to each other across moving mechanical forms and radiant colors, creating a visual conversation in the space. Visitors notice how the bright, flowing shapes contrast with the intricate engineered structures, showing different approaches to expressing life and motion.

The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday with extended hours on Thursday and provides accessible facilities for visitors with reduced mobility. You can move through the space easily on foot, so plan time to see the works from different angles and at your own pace.

The museum regularly presents rotating exhibitions that connect contemporary artists with the foundational work of these two masters, creating fresh conversations about their legacy. This means each visit reveals different connections and adds new context to what you see.